Like That
by Seigh
Summary: Spoiled, pretty girl Rinoa has been dumped by Squall, resident lone wolf of Balamb Garden. The rumours are flying and the fight for attention is on. But what if she just wants him to love her again and he just wants to save her from himself? AU Squinoa
1. Tripping on the Pieces

AN: Before I hear people groan and roll their eyes mumbling 'Oh gosh, not _another_ AU high-school story! Save us!', I'd just like to say that I'm quite a fan of such stories- if they're tasty and contain lots of good Squinoa action and have somewhat exciting, meaningful plots and good grammar. Now, I'd like to attempt to craft such a story though I haven't tried writing fanfiction in a good two years. I apologize if this story starts out confusing, bland, or simply dreadful, but I tried my best and I hope you all enjoy a light read of fluff and drama! Oh, how I love drama.

Disclaimer: I hold no claim to the characters of FF8 or any of SquareSoft/Enix's creations.

**Like _That  
_**Chapter 1 Tripping on the Pieces  
by Seigh

A lot of people look at me now and think I'm spoiled, bratty, cocky and a bit too vain. I know you might look at me and wonder how the hell I would know what other people were saying behind my back, but I'm a girl. Girls can feel it when someone's stabbing them in the back. It's a necessary skill that needs to be honed and refined during your years of adolescence. I never really thought about it much, because it never really applied to me. But now? I'm pro. I'm elite at this shit. And it's as petty as it can get, but it doesn't matter does it?

I'm just so angry. He doesn't understand how it kills me to see him walk by with her at his side. And I hate how he misunderstands. I hate how futile it is, whatever I do, whatever I try to make him see. It's not really...I don't...I just wish nothing went wrong. I know, somewhere down there, he cares, I care, we were _perfect_. Do I blame him? No, of course not. It's not right to blame someone else for your own faults. But honestly? I do. I blame him night and day, I curse his name under my breath when he turns towards me and stares with those eyes that read only emptiness. He doesn't care anymore. But I want him to care again. I want it with a _passion_.

It's his fault. He didn't trust me enough. He didn't care enough. But the same could be said for me. I didn't trust enough. I didn't care enough either.

Then who am I to say that it's his fault?

Oh, right, because the rest of the student population seems to love that idea. The spiteful ex-war. The godly commander and the horrible ex-girlfriend who was just a silly little cadet in training.

But there aren't any guns blazing. There's no one sabotaging each other in the hallways, there's no one sneaking worms into someone else's lunch. It's all undercover, a stare, a glance, a smile even. It all hurts, those little insignificant movements.

And it will kill me if I don't blitzkrieg back or whatever that Estharian term was. Speaking of which, I should really get that memorized. History next block and a major chapter test on the Estharian civil wars. Whatever happened to organization and straight As? I was at the top of my game and then I just stopped caring.

Just like him. He doesn't care anymore.

Can I please press rewind?

xox _Girl in Blue_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

She heaved a soft sigh as she snapped her sleek laptop shut and hastily stuffed the bulky thing into her large, green hand bag and slung it over one shoulder. She glanced half heartedly at her reflection from across her seat on the little cushioned chairs in the bathroom of Balamb Garden and fixed her shiny, straight raven locks that could never look out of place anyway. It was envy-worthy hair, as many of her friends had piped to her as she ran a pale hand through it. She sniffed slightly as a waft of shampoo met her nose and she instantly frowned. Maybe she shouldn't have tried that Owl's Tears stuff after all. It smelt like laundry detergent and she didn't want to smell like a house wife.

The sound of a toilet flushing broke her out of her dazed reverie and she quickly looked away from the mirror and started heading towards the door. However, a flash of blonde caught her gaze and she found herself reluctantly pause in her step, dropping the tube of lip gloss that had been in her other hand. She swallowed, not utterly sure why she was being so nervous and uptight, but bent down to slowly retrieve her possession anyway.

Heels clicking on the cold tiled floor seemed piercingly loud as she straightened herself as gracefully as she could, catching the cool blue eyes of one girl she really did not want to see.

The girl was beautiful, anyone could describe her as such, and she not only had envy-worthy hair to brag about but also envy-worthy grades, envy-worthy nails, envy-worthy legs and of course, the hardest punch to her gut, a envy-worthy boyfriend.

She was the one to break the gaze first, turning her blonde head away to focus on her perfect reflection in the mirror while turning on the tap water. "You'll be late for class if you don't hurry."

She scowled, immediately feeling strangely defensive even though the other young woman had said nothing to purposely attack her. She knew she was acting childish, perhaps a bit too catty, but she couldn't help the anger that boiled immediately to the surface at the smooth voice of the other girl standing a few feet away. Quistis Trepe, a young woman who achieved her SeeD status at the age of 15 and was now sporting a flashy instructor's license at the age of 18. She could only thank all the gods in heaven that she wasn't doomed to be in one of her classes and bit her lip tersely, wondering how to respond.

"I was on my way," she managed stiffly and turned to go. She vaguely felt as if the young instructor had wanted to say something more to her, but she was in no mood to be lectured or even talked to. Especially by Quistis Trepe. Perfect, mature, sophisticated Quistis Trepe. The girl who could do absolutely nothing to her and _still _spite her anyway.

Probably because of the young man hanging on her arm.

But that was an entirely different story that she would rather throw out the window and hope a blue dragon would trample over it.

"Rinny! Rinny! There you are!"

The girl stopped in her tracks and looked up brightly, glad to have someone distract her from her horrible thoughts. A short, petite girl in a short yellow dress came bounding over towards her, a pair of nunchucks in hand and a red grocery bag in the other.

"Why aren't you in uniform?" The raven haired girl asked immediately, giving a look over her own shoulder. "Trepe is in there and if she sees you I'm sure she'll find it absolutely satisfying to give you an infraction slip."

The shorter girl looked thoughtful before sending the other girl a bright smile. "It doesn't matter. I just got out of field training with Mr. Commander and I'm sure she won't--" the girl paused, noticing the strange look that had fallen on her friend's face and immediately gasped. "Oh, right, no more _him_ talk!" She frowned as she noticed her friend's silence and skipped in front of her. "I'm sorry Rinny! I totally forgot. Honest!"

The raven haired girl sighed and forced a tight smile to stretch across her shiny lips. "Yeah, I know, it just...feels weird sometimes, hearing about him...talking about him...seeing him," she looked skywards and shrugged. "I'm over it though. I can do better, right!" She could hear the false cheeriness in her tone and it made her cringe. She could only hope that Selphie would simply overlook it as she usually did.

"Oh, of course! Definitely! I mean, it didn't work out partly because of him anyway!" Selphie nodded with much vigor before shuffling through her grocery bag to pull out her cadet uniform. "Ew, so if I go in the bathroom now I'll run into her?"

Rinoa giggled at her friend's expression but nodded nonetheless. "Yep, but whatever, she can't control our actions. Anyway, I better hurry to history, I can't miss that test and risk flunking one entirely."

"Okay, well, good luck!" Her friend gave her shoulder a squeeze before turning on her heels to skip towards the bathroom. Rinoa smiled slightly and turned to go on her way again, wondering how her tiny friend could have so much energy bubbling in her so early in the day. She already felt spent and ready to retire into her dorm and bury herself underneath some good magazines and a frap or maybe even a bottle of Raegan. That'd be nice. She could feel like she was back in the old days again, living the high life with someone she thought she really fell in love with.

She gripped the straps of her hand bag tightly and decided to take the stairs up to the second floor classroom. She sucked in a breath and dared herself to look at the gossiping Trepies huddled in the corner of the stairwell, staring at her with their lips moving furiously as she passed them by. She let her eyes scan them lazily, as if she didn't care about a thing in the world, and went on her way. She hoped that her horrendous smelling old granny shampoo would keel them over like Marlboro's breath.

As she stepped into the classroom, still trying to place her unaffected and leveled face mask on, she managed to trip over a pop can that had been lying carelessly on the ground. She let out a little gasp and braced herself for the hard foreboding floor that would eminently embrace her...

Her large, almond shaped eyes were shut tight when she felt that warm pressure of hands on either side of her arms, steadying her. She bit her lip and cracked one eye open to catch the endless chasm that was his eye, his world, the depth of his mind. She felt the breath being knocked out of her petite frame as those azure, stormy eyes glanced at her, with a hint of emotion that she could have swore was there but was now clearly masked over by a look of indifference.

She slowly gained her senses and stepped back quickly, away from his arms, his gloved hands..._those hands_...she tucked a stray strand of raven hair behind her ear and opened her mouth awkwardly.

"Thanks."

He stared at her, and merely nodded before walking to his seat across the room. She watched him go, cursing herself for being unable to tear her gaze away from his lean form. She blinked her eyes rapidly, hoping she really did have an eyelash or a chunk of mascara floating around in her eye because then she would have a good excuse to look all teary. She scowled mentally and scolded herself for being such a drama queen.

"Miss. Heartilly, would you like to take a seat?"

She jumped slightly at the sharp voice of her teacher and numbly nodded, taking her seat next to a girl with pigtails who practically lived in the library's non-fiction section. Rinoa shuffled around the contents of her bag, looking for her books as the teacher droned on about test times and format. She really hated how she was so unfocused. But she always was, especially in history. He was there. Always there, somewhere sitting behind her. Sometimes she felt as if she could feel his eyes on the back of her head, but that would only be wishful thinking.

Because he didn't care anymore.

She frowned tightly, wondering why he was still studying. He was the damn commander anyway, just a bit young, just a bit too fresh out of training, but commander nonetheless. But then again, she knew why, he had told her before, during one of those nights when they had no classes the next day, no obligations, just themselves and the star speckled sky above them. They would lie there on the grass and talk, or, she would talk, and sometimes, if she was lucky, he would talk too. She shook her head quickly, knowing such thoughts would do absolutely no good to scoring some form of a suitable grade on the test that was now in front of her.

So, she took a deep breath and propped her pen up and glanced at the bolded words on the booklet of paper in front of her.

_During the attack of the Great Salt Lake, what was the method of battle that the Estharian soldiers developed? Name three distinct advantages to the technique and three disadvantages._

She shut her eyes and mentally visualized the glossy white pages of her heavy history textbook. There was some sort of a picture on the left hand corner that reminded her of Headmaster Kramer with a frilly wig and a spacesuit, or maybe that was the next chapter...but no, she was pretty sure it was the page with the frilly Cid picture. She unconsciously drummed her fingers on the table until she received a glare from the girl sitting next to her. She stopped and looked blankly down at the next question.

_What does the line 'fithos lusec wecos vinosec' translate to and which significant battle resulted in the creation of this song?_

That rung a bell, it definitely did. She started uncrossing and crossing her legs when the words wouldn't come to her head. Something about magic? Yes, something evil? Magic and witches. Something like that. But she could have sworn there was something more deep and fancy to it. Not just bluntly- magic and witches. She started nibbling the tip of her pen in exasperation as she shut her eyes again.

She instantly regretted doing so when she saw him again, this time, much closer, much more tangible, even if it was only her imagination. She could see the way his hair fell in his eyes, her habit of brushing those strands aside and kissing the bridge of his nose just to tease him in front of everyone else. She knew he said he didn't like her public show of affection but she knew he loved it anyway.

Or so she thought...

_Maybe that's another reason why he broke up with you, idiot! _She chided herself and rolled her eyes skywards. Then it suddenly came back to her that she was trying to sit a history test and immediately her heart rate picked up and she knew she was going to fail miserably. It was there, right in front of her, thirty questions she had no clue how to answer and she knew it was futile to even try.

Why had she come to class when she knew she wasn't prepared?

She hadn't studied. Not much anyway. She had read a bit of the summary when she was in the bathroom trying to clear her migraine. Maybe she had a bit too much to drink yesterday with her new beau, her new lover, her way of trying to attract attention. She sighed and grasped the roots of her hair in agitation. Who was she trying to fool? She was tripping over herself and ruining her own life because of one stupid boy who didn't care about her anymore and who was probably flipping through the test booklet for the fifth time already, rechecking answers to make sure he got that 100 that was only worthy of his commander status.

She shut her eyes one last time and knew she really didn't have to put up with it anymore.

With a sigh, she pushed her chair back, letting out a noisy screech, and grabbed her bag and books. Mr. Norg had barely realized what his student was doing until she was already halfway through the door.

"Miss. Heartilly? Miss. Heartilly!"

She didn't care. She didn't have to waste her time failing a test when she could do something more productive. She glanced at the elevator and decided to take the stairs again. Maybe that way she could burn more of those empty carbs she was feeling still bubbling in her stomach from all the drinks she had the night before. She started her descent and paused, halfway down the second floor stairwell only to look back at the classroom, a forlorn look reflected in her deep, chocolate eyes.

Eyes to others who looked only stoned and totally tanked, eyes of a girl who got dumped and didn't really know how to pick herself back up.

Eyes of a girl who only wanted that feeling of love again.

She smiled, a bitter smile as those thoughts ran through her mind.

_Suck it up, princess, suck it up._

AN: First chapter, short and sweet. Hope to hear your thoughts and opinions ;) Until next time.


	2. Rumor Has It

Disclaimer: I hold no claim to the characters of FF8 or any of SquareSoft/Enix's creations.

**Like _That  
_**Chapter 2 - Rumor Has It  
by Seigh

I can't believe how gross I feel right now. There is nothing sexy about being so totally wasted that I can't even see my own fingers typing on this thing. So why is everyone so into this dismal way of existence? Why am I falling into the stupid mold of social stereotyping by being an irresponsible teenager? You know what, never mind. I know why. I'm just a bit too dazed to realize it.

Or to be bluntly honest, I just don't want to accept it.

I don't want to accept the fact that everyone at Garden wants to side with their all mighty commander. I don't want to accept the horrible rumors floating from ear to ear. Why does everyone think they have the true story when everything's still right here, bottled up inside of me and even I don't know what really happened? I'm not that much of an idiot- I know he had nothing to do with the silly stories. He would never tell, never say...he probably doesn't even hear the stories. The stories of Rinoa Heartilly, the girl who always wanted her way and her boyfriend just couldn't put up with her behavior. Or Rinoa Heartilly, the girl who was secretly seeing two other junior cadets behind the commander's back and he had finally found out and had a fit. Or Rinoa Heartilly, the girl who secretly hid in her dorm room making up voodoo spells to try and woo the whole male population of Garden.

No one wanted their commander to be the one in blame.

So what's the real story? The truth behind the many tales, farfetched and fantastical as they are? What I want to say is that we broke up because we realized we would be better off that way. Actually, that's true, but why doesn't it feel as simple? And I don't feel any better either. Or maybe what I want to say is that I found another gorgeous, handsome darling to hook up with and he's currently in Trabia trying to catch me my very own Chocobo. But that's not the case either. In my dreams, maybe.

You know, I had a dream last night, somehow. I don't really know. Maybe it wasn't a dream but actually Seifer doing his drunk dance in front of me and just me thinking it was a dream and twisted it all over. I really don't know. But anyway, if I did have a dream, it went along the lines of him and me, again, but this time we're holding hands and we're smiling, _imagine that_. This time it's raining, but it's alright because we love running in the rain together. But maybe he really didn't. Maybe he just put up with it for me because I always need to get my way. Or else I pout. Or else I pull out the most dreaded weapon of all.

Manicured, sharp finger nails.

And I scratch.

Right, and I wonder _why_ he dumped me. Please, even I can't stand the intolerable mess that is me, myself, and me all alone in this dingy small dorm room. Angelo is whining. Silly dog. I bet she hates how I smell right now. I think it's an improvement from that shampoo though... _he_ wouldn't have cared though. Maybe. At least that's what I remember. He never really cared. That was the problem...but it was such a good problem. He didn't care if I had bags underneath my eyes. He didn't care if I had mud on my cheeks or twigs in my hair. He didn't even care if I smelt like mothballs or liquor or anything.

At least, that's what I remembered. That's what I perceived from his indifferent attitude. Maybe when I was in his arms, face buried in his strong chest, he was wrinkling his nose up in disgust. Maybe he just couldn't stand the very scent of me. And I was just a little girl having a perpetual fantasy in her own little world.

I don't want to be stupid anymore, but stupid seems to be a neon sign glittering above my head. I was stupid enough to believe we would last, stupid enough to believe I had found my prince charming. I was so happy. I was so content. But reality was sort of different, you know? I was a bit too silly, a bit too outgoing for his taste.

I don't want to be stupid anymore.

xox Girl in Blue

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Squall Leonhart looked hot, but of course he didn't notice that. It was an accepted norm amongst the female population of Garden though, and when everyone was whispering about his oh so tight arse, he would rather think they were muttering about his antisocial nature. Or maybe perhaps the latest gossip between the supposed love triangle that was composed of three distinct figures in Balamb Garden.

There was ,of course, the gleaming trophy prize, Squall Leonhart himself, who had been reluctantly thrown into centre stage with the blazing spotlight hovering right above his head. To his right was gorgeous, young, eighteen year old instructor Quistis Trepe who everyone knew was the epitome of poise and grace, even if she was a licensed SeeD and a killer test giver. To his left was passionate and carefree Rinoa Heartilly, whose beauty was mysterious and absolutely charming. Rumor has it that her daddy was some scary army persona who totally controlled his own underground regime. But those were just rumours, just as everything about the love triangle was a fabricated piece of shit.

And that was the only thing Squall could believe as he ran a hand through his tousled hair and wondered why it was midnight already. Poor Squall, would be the common thought held between students, though people who knew the commander well enough knew that he was addicted to his work. It was his version of intoxication. Be drugged with work; his slogan. He knew his eyes were starting to droop but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving a pile of unattended SeeD application forms on his desk. And maybe because all he thought about in his room was _her_.

Which 'her' Squall? Which one?

He rubbed his forehead tiredly as he scanned the top of one form. A girl named Emilia Strange. The picture to the right hand corner of the page made him recall an incident earlier in the day, during his field training class when a female cadet had simply come onto him with some very alluring perfume drenched all over her petite body.

_She_ never did that.

And he flinched as he confessed mentally that this time a certain raven haired girl had popped into his mind, smiling that beautiful smile that he had learnt to love and cherish.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and paused, remembering the soft touch of her lips on that exact spot, the warmth, the velvety feel of those perfect lips...he shut his eyes and groaned. Why on earth was he thinking about someone who obviously wasn't a part of his life anymore? Then again, why was he feeling so antsy, so emotional about something that he had brought upon himself? He knew this would happen. He knew they wouldn't be able to have one of those 'couple turned best friends' sort of relationships. She was too stubborn for that. Too prideful.

And he was too.

He sighed rather loudly and slouched even more heavily in his leather seat, skimming over the form of a cadet named Raijin...which unfortunately brought his mind back to her again. Her. Walking down the hallways, books in hand, looking completely peaceful and beautiful. With him. That damn man that made him seethe with anger. And this guy, Raijin or whatever his name was, was always with them. He remembered that. He was Commander Leonhart anyways. He was suppose to know all the happenings around Garden. Even the scandalous stuff that he preferred not to know.

Like that time Xu had reported to him that Zell, a personal friend of his, had been making out with some girl in the library and it was starting to become a major distraction to other students actually trying to work there. Or that time Quistis had run into the office looking thoroughly frazzled and, against his own intelligence he, had asked her why. In which case she had replied that she had just had a run in with Rinoa and Seifer Almasy getting it on in the elevator.

...Now could that really be true?

Who knows.

He paused and rested his forehead against the fist of his hand, elbow propped up on the oak table and eyes weary with sleep. He could not help but be reminded of her. He could not help but think about her. He wondered how she was, why she had so abruptly left history class, knowing it was probably a blow to her grades. He wondered why she was with _Seifer _of all people, but somehow, he felt like a coward, not being able to ask about it. But then again, who she wanted to date was none of his business. She wasn't his business.

He had to admit that he was worried though. Worried about a girl who shouldn't be part of his agenda anymore. After all, he had told her, some weeks ago, that it wasn't working out. She had nodded, she had known, she knew he was a bastard of a boyfriend. But she had wanted it to work out, she had persisted, with those passionate eyes of hers that opened for his every perusal, that let him see every single piece of her soul. He was the coward though, the one who didn't want to fight another fight, an impossible fight. He had given up. And he had turned away.

But all that thought still didn't erase the fact that his fingers were itching to pull up her files, to check if her studies were going alright or if she was seriously harming her academic life because of her life with that boyfriend of hers. He felt subconsciously guilty, like he was eavesdropping on a very private conversation as he turned on his computer screen and slowly punched in her cadet number. Why was that still engrained in his mind anyway?

His finger hovered above the enter key when his office door clicked open. He immediately looked up, shutting off the screen with a jab of his finger and looking almost wildly towards the double doors.

"Oh, you," he felt the words leave his mouth before he even processed what he was saying. He instantly regretted how tired he sounded, how unexcited he was to see his supposed new girlfriend. Any other young man his age would probably be jumping out of his seat, glad to have some sort of an excuse to focus on a beautiful woman instead of bland paperwork. Strangely, he felt like he wanted to be alone again.

"Hey," she whispered, looking worried, always worried, her blue eyes trying to catch his gaze. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked down at Raijin's picture again.

"I looked for you...in your room," she began hesitantly. Quistis was starting to worry again. He wasn't looking at her. Didn't she look glamorous enough? Was her hair too untidy? Why was she so hesitant? Squall frowned. Rinoa was never hesitant, always ready to bound into his office like it was sunshine everyday. However, the blonde woman before him seemed like she was frightened almost, unsure if she was suppose to be here, wary of her role in his life. Or maybe he was just thinking too much again. "I didn't find you in there, so I just guessed you were still working, just like you always are," she smiled now, finally, pushing her glasses up her pretty nose and coming to stand behind him, massaging his tense shoulders.

"Whatever." They both muttered, and she laughed.

Squall Leonhart scowled, not really understanding why he was feeling so agitated. He slowly placed a gloved hand over one of her own and she stopped, almost as if he had shocked her with a Thundaga spell. He didn't know what he was doing but finally looked around and caught her gaze. She was still looking worried.

"I'm going to bed," he mumbled, standing up and giving her hand the slightest squeeze. She might have even imagined it, that light, soft pressure on her hand.

She watched him go, his presence leaving her feeling strangely alone. The doors shut and she glanced at the file on his desk. Raijin. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Wasn't he part of the Disciplinary Committee? With Seifer Almasy and a strange looking female? Quistis Trepe didn't know why but she suddenly felt the sour tang of jealousy clawing at her form. She found herself sitting down in his leather seat that squeaked as she leant back.

She blinked, once, twice, and shifted her gaze to the computer that was still humming. He had forgotten to shut it off. She let out a sigh of exasperation and decided to do what a good secretary and girlfriend would do and turned on the screen. She was half conscious of what she was doing until the screen flickered and focused on the grey box opened smack dab in the centre, with seven digits glaring back at her, unchanging, unwavering.

0303817

Weird, how she knew whose number that was. She was almost tempted to hit the enter key but decided against it. She wasn't going to be petty, she wasn't going to stick her nose into someone else's business. Quistis shut her eyes quickly and decided to push out all her thoughts, all her doubts. Squall wasn't dating Rinoa Heartilly anymore. She was being too sensitive.

But she was just _sooooo_ curious. A peek wouldn't hurt, would it?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rinoa Heartilly could not help but wrinkle up her nose as she distinctly smelt the waft of grat guts as it spilled across the training centre floor. It looked exactly like the vomit she had puked up earlier in the day because of her upset stomach. She stepped back slightly in her boot clad feet and crossed her arms tightly across her skinny waist and frowned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she glanced at Seifer.

Seifer and Rinoa, the newest and hottest couple of garden. Sort of.

People just couldn't stop talking about them. It was the enticing idea that the ex-girlfriend of Commander Leonhart was going out with his long time rival Seifer Almasy. It was way too juicy for people to simply ignore, just like the big, ugly grat who was flailing its feelers at Seifer and he just couldn't ignore it and hacked it up into pieces in a matter of seconds. A few younger cadets slid by them, but one girl dropped a potion and pretended to be retrieving it.

Rinoa rolled her eyes, knowing better. Why did people want to listen in on her and Seifer any way? It wasn't like they ever spoke of anything scandalous and gossip worthy. They were just your average teenagers who were currently dating and would probably expire, relationship wise, some time before the new year hit.

"Damnit, he's going to fail me."

"You're going to do absolutely great!" Rinoa Heartilly insisted eagerly as she clapped her hands together, hoping that her boyfriend would finally get over his own big head and see that he was really quite stunning with a gunblade. Especially when he was somber. And sane. And collected.

Which, sadly, was not Seifer Almasy's usual state of mind.

"No, Rin, I'm going to fucking do something 'irrational' again, or whatever the hell that word Cid uses!" The blonde swung his weapon dangerously around, smoothly beheading another nearby grat that instantly fell into a heap of green, shriveling mucus. "And then, Commander Puberty will insist that they fail me, again, mind you, and I'll still be stuck here in this hell hole."

Rinoa scrunched up her nose in distaste as she stepped away from the remains of the twitching bug and perched herself on one of the many rocks in the training center. She tilted her head slightly, trying to catch Seifer's gaze, but he was stubbornly looking anywhere but at her. "Well if you keep thinking that way, you might as well fail way before the exam even begins," she mumbled calmly and glanced around at the currently empty center. "Besides, you've still got two weeks. Plenty of time--"

"Hey Rin," Seifer abruptly cut in, finally turning to look at her with a curious gaze. "Why aren't you trying out?"

"What?"

"The SeeD exam. You know, the only reason why any one comes to Garden?" Seifer rolled his eyes in exasperation at his girlfriend's obvious confusion. "I really don't get why you're here and not training to become a SeeD. What's the point of putting up with all this shit if you don't? What's it that you do?" He paused to think, plopping himself down beside the raven haired girl. "History classes? Art classes? Hyne, I didn't even know Garden had art classes!"

Rinoa raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, just waiting for her boyfriend to snort in laughter. Fortunately for Seifer, he managed to hold it in and merely stared at his girlfriend with an amused look in his blue eyes. Rinoa sighed and looked at her fingernails, grimacing at their untrimmed appearance. "I thought we went over this. I don't like the idea of killing for no reason--"

"Why? Scared you'll break a nail?" Seifer smirked, sounding quite proud about his remark.

Rinoa stuck out her lower lip, running her tongue against the drier areas and picking up the sweet aftertaste of lip gloss as she did so. "No, I just don't think there's ever a reason to kill. And if there ever is, it's never...a reason that...you know, corresponds to my values...or morals...you know?" She sounded doubtful, but somewhere inside, she was so sure of her words. Why didn't she sound that way then? She mulled over this as Seifer processed her words.

And this time, he snorted.

Rinoa snapped out of her daze and sent a glare towards him, looking quite childish.

"Don't you think it sounds great though? Romantic even," Seifer continued, his voice picking up pace as Rinoa stared at him.

"Romantic?" Rinoa held the urge to laugh as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Great, now I know what to expect for my Valentine's gift. A dead grat and some oh-so yummy caterchipillar intestines from my mighty, mighty SeeD boyfriend."

Seifer scowled, "No way. My girl gets special treatment."

"Oh really?" Rinoa prompted, edging closer to the young man beside her.

"Yeah," he mirrored her movements until his lips were just above her ear, his hot breath sending such nerve racking tremors through her petite frame. He paused and took in her scent, a smell he had slowly become so accustomed to. A mix of enticing tropical fruits and calming vanilla. "And if I'm feeling extra generous, I'll even give your dog a T-Rexaur bone. Oh, and I can't forget," he ducked underneath her curtain of hair and landed his lips against her cheek. "Something like this too," he whispered the last part, causing her stomach to flip and churn.

In a bad way. And Rinoa didn't know why. She knew she was suppose to be thrilled, giggling even, which she was. Seifer smiled at that, but strangely, she felt like a slab of stone on the inside. She held her sides as she giggled, tears forming in her almond shaped eyes, but something kept on biting, kept on slicing at her insides. It felt like a punch to the gut every time Seifer did something nice for her, even if it was rare and far in between.

She never felt like she was reflecting the reality she felt. The thoughts and dreams she envisioned. She wondered if Seifer was in any of it. Her dreams, her visions, her future...maybe she was taking everything too seriously.

"Why the hell are you here?"

The sharp tone in Seifer's voice brought her out of her reverie as she looked from Seifer to the person he was now glaring at. She felt someone knocking the wind out of her as her toes clenched underneath her boots and her blood run slightly colder than before. Why was he everywhere? It was a stupid question, but she found herself asking it every time. _Why was he everywhere._

"...Because this is a public place."

His voice. She savored it. She hated it. She wanted to look away from those eyes but she couldn't, and when he finally seemed to catch her staring, she felt like hiding, or getting Seifer to reenact the whole grat-beheading thing but with her instead. She just didn't want to be here at all. She hadn't even properly brushed her hair. She must've looked so dazed, so ugly and trashy. She swallowed tightly.

Seifer laughed. "Why, decided to come and let us bask in your wonderfulness? Thanks, but no thanks."

She watched him. Watched his shoulders tense underneath that leather jacket, watched his eyebrows knit in frustration at Seifer's pettiness. At times like this, she wondered why she was with Seifer. He was so childish. But she was too. She supposed they were a perfect match then, doomed to failure, doomed to nothingness. She hated these situations. She was constantly being thrown into no man's land and present to open fire from both sides. But in reality, it wasn't suppose to be like that.

She stood up, standing beside Seifer who was sending the other young man taunting stares. "Seifer, weren't we just leaving?" She started, hoping that she looked collected and calm, hoping that the sadness and the uncontrollable nerves running in her would not show as she leveled her gaze with his stormy eyes.

"What?" Seifer blinked.

Rinoa wanted to smack him but mentally cursed. Sometimes she wondered why she had no connection with him. Squall always seemed to understand her little movements, her subtle signals...or not. Never mind. She had only recently accused him of not connecting with her, another stab to their growing pile of problems that had eventually broken them apart. She sighed. Maybe she should have just stayed single and enjoyed the high life alone.

"You know what, I meant _I_ was just leaving," Rinoa corrected herself stiffly and started to leave.

"It's okay, I was just passing by."

She stopped and wish he hadn't spoken at all. It made him sound so heroic, so high and mighty while she sounded like a little mouse trapped in between two ranging cats. She frowned and sent him a side glance, hoping she didn't look as childish as he accused her of once. That's right. Squall Leonhart had called her a child. Thought she had a child's temper and was too stubborn for her own good and always wanted her way. He had also said she was weak, unable to take care of herself and always needing him to lean on.

_Whatever._ She felt the anger tingling again as that conversation filtered through her head and this time, she fully turned towards Squall who was still standing there, looking indifferent and utterly calm. And she had accused him right back and said he didn't care enough and was never there to lean on anyways even if she did need him.

"Oh, but I was just leaving too," she started, not caring if her hair was a mess. He had seen her in worse care, but then again she must've had horrible bags underneath her eyes from her lack of sleep for the past week. "I was just going to go leave my application form at your office," she smiled. She was shocked to the core that she was smiling but that thought thankfully did not register on her composed facial features. In fact, to Squall Leonhart right then and there, he thought she looked beautiful.

And he had to mentally slap himself.

"Application form?" He managed to say without tripping on his words, forgetting Seifer was even there, still holding his gunblade dangerously at his side and sending him spiteful glares.

"Yeah," she clasped her hands together, a strange habit she had picked up ever since leaving her hometown of Galbadia to venture the solo life in Balamb. "My SeeD application form," she elaborated slowly, pleased to see a glimpse of emotion pass through Squall's usually unreadable eyes. "I was just practicing for the exam with Seifer, wasn't I?" She glanced at her boyfriend sweetly, who this time looked at her in confusion and surprise.

Rinoa stared at the blonde boy hard. He better get her signals this time, she was practically oozing _'get with my story' _and she could have burnt a hole right through him with the intensity of her stare.

"Right," Seifer slowly began, much to the relief of Rinoa who visibly relaxed. "Yeah, Rin, let's go and drop that off." He smirked and walked towards her, taking her hand in his.

Rinoa smiled slightly, unsure why she felt a sudden thrill of joy at the confusion written on Squall's face. She knew he knew that she wasn't the type to join SeeD, and maybe that was why she had some twisted satisfaction in surprising him. Maybe she would finally show him that she could take care of herself fine. Squall use to tell her that she lived her life as if it were a game, and right now, she felt it was exactly like that, and she didn't care.

She only wanted to win that game.

When they were far away enough, Seifer suddenly applied pressure to her arm and told her to stop walking. She hadn't realized she was walking so quickly, and suddenly she felt like she was short of breath and lightheaded.

"What?" She immediately asked, turning to glance at Seifer. She wondered why her voice held a tone of defense and tried to relax her nerves.

"What just happened Rin?" Seifer muttered, nodding his head behind his shoulder to where they had just come from. "One minute you're all anti-SeeD and the next you're all into it. Does this have anything at all to do with--"

"My secret ambition to take over the world?" Rinoa cut in light heartedly and smiled brightly, hoping she was pulling off a convincing act of cheerfulness. She watched Seifer carefully and notice his lips twitch slightly. "Definitely," Rinoa answered before Seifer could reply. "I always wanted to have my own little patch of forest and my own little piece of the ocean, and joining SeeD is just the first step!"

Seifer laughed and shook his blonde head, throwing an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders and steering her towards the exit again. "You feisty little girl. You surprise me you know, all the time."

She merely smiled again and skipped out of Seifer's grasp, teasing him slightly by escaping him once again when he tried to hold onto her arm. "Okay, training part one! Try and catch me! It'll definitely help your lack of agility!" She giggled and turned on her heels, waiting for Seifer to process her words.

"What! Lack of agility? What the hell Rin! Come back right now and--" his voice trailed off when he realized Rinoa was not going to stop and growled in annoyance, deciding that he had to play her little game after all. "When I catch you--"

"_When_ you catch me!" Rinoa called back and smiled slightly, wondering if she really knew what she was doing. That smile, as familiar as it was to anyone else in Garden, felt utterly alien and unnatural to her as she rounded a corner, nearly knocking over a few students. The smile slipped off completely as the full impact of what her choice would imply, and she suddenly wanted to keep running, no matter what student she knocked over or what rules she broke.

She didn't want to stop.

If she stopped, she would feel reality come crashing up right behind her and she wouldn't be able to take the blow of it.

AN: Oh gosh, sorry for the late update but it's a busy time of the year. Thank you so much guys for the thoughtful and helpful reviews! Some of you have wondered about Rinoa and why she may seem so utterly spiteful and bitter, but I will dwell into this deeper. I want to go for the slow approach in giving pieces of the background story chapter to chapter, but I'm pretty sure everything will be quite clear by Ch.3. I also don't like to write Rinoa as the happy-go-lucky girl who doesn't take things too seriously, because I think she's deeper then that and I want to touch on the more human aspects of her rather than only the surface aspect of her character. Thank you once again for the support!


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